The 2020 Pandemic has fundamentally altered humanity on a global scale. Mass exodus from urban living. Global markets shifted from physical in-person work to remote work. People tore themselves from downtowns, leaving the scar of high vacancy rates in offices, apartments and condos. In 2023 people begin to exit the constant fear of infection. But there are questions of what will become of broken downtowns.

With workers gone, dependent downtown businesses that served them suffered then ultimately closed as well. With residents gone, domestic services also closed. Buildings nearly empty, waiting with conditioned space and sanitized interiors. So what’s to come of these once dense environments? The Urban Renaissance.

A Renaissance, because the purpose of downtown has started to change. Tuning into architectural media, urban clients and developer chatter, there’s been a re-focus to fill empty office and residential spaces in downtowns. Building owners have accepted that they cannot wait around for office employees to return to the office. Because they have also left in-person work for remote work and they love it. Of course remote workers recognize that there are some benefits they miss about working in-person with co-workers. But those benefits don’t outweigh the value of working remotely. For some that means traveling the world while for others that means taking care of domestic chores when they get work done early. It’s a re-focus of work-life balance. Working remote is a reward and a benefit. But people know they can work remote from anywhere – suburbia, tropical locations, mountain cabins and now downtown.

Property owners know this. With the pandemic receding, people are looking forward to getting back out there with friends and family, but not their co-workers. Remote workers don’t need to spend so much time with their co-workers (people they didn’t choose to be acquainted with in the first place). Instead they can seek happy our with their chosen friends and family. Enter the Urban Renaissance.

The perfect mix of circumstances have emerged to bring people together (albeit with a pocket-sized hand sanitizer nearby). That being newly renovated, cheep, clean, dense, convenient urban living opportunities. Owners of tall office buildings have already started renovating their office space into residential living space. Because they’re desperate to fill their empty square footage, knowing that the office worker will not return, so they’ve been offering their spaces at significant discounts, with various perks to attract would-be urban dwellers. Downtowns will not be filled back up with office workers, because the exact typology of office that these tall buildings were created for have no reason to return. Now that all of these businesses have realized the work they do can be done 100% remote.

Downtowns are dense and convenient people who don’t own cars, but have been out of reach due to high cost. The lower rents and benefits will attract all income levels, remote workers and hospitality workers. Even remote workers who once lived in or near downtowns, that retreated to spacious suburban homes, will be drawn back in. Because they miss the excitement of urban life. They never wanted to mow a lawn, tend a garden or learn to cook for every meal – they wanted to enjoy an artisan coffee, meet up with friends at their favorite bar or pizza place. And that’s what they’ll do, come together with their friends and family, young and old, in downtown. There are missing services for such a resurgence of city dwellers though, since many of the previous afternoon lunch restaurants and popping happy hour bars have closed. But with high demand there will undaughterly be a return of the best artisan coffee shops, martini bars, lunch venues and more. Not only will food venues need to be created, but domestic services that provide goods and convenient living will need to either come closer or develop quality delivery options. And there are other business types that will emerge for the individual, rather than exclusively for the 9-5 worker.

The Urban Renaissance will be focused on the individual, rather than on businesses. People will get happy hour with people they choose to call friends, with their family. Rather than meeting people in their false work façade attire, they’ll meet people for who they are. Downtowns are in the process of being transformed to be active places for people to shop, eat and live together.

#rickitect